The Western Air Temple
by Saya Matsuki
Summary: A oneshot speculating Episode 112 of Avatar:The Last Airbender. This was written in November 2007 and obviously most have seen the new episode. Implied Zutara at the end.


The Western Air Temple

An Avatar Oneshot

WARNING: THIS ONESOT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. DON NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN EPISODES 310 AND 311!

As they had fled the Fire Nation capital, the group on Appa's saddle looked back at those they had to leave behind. The adults stood putting on their brave faces and knew that the promise that had been made would hold strong. They would be rescued, and the Avatar would defeat the Fire Lord once and for all. Now at the Western Air Temple, everyone was setting up a camp and their morale was down.

Katara looked around at her friends and frowned. She really wished she could do something to help, but could think of nothing. Then there was Aang. Since they'd arrived he'd barely said a word and had sat away from them with his back facing everyone. Katara wanted to help him as well, but didn't know what to say. She thought of how he'd kissed her earlier and blushed. Her feelings twisted inside of her until she had a knot she couldn't make sense of. She sighed and got back to work. They wanted to have camp set up before it got dark.

Zuko frowned and peered into the distance. He'd been flying for a few hours and the sky was just starting to tinge with pink. He knew he'd arrive after the Avatar, as their bison was much faster than his hot air balloon. Thinking back on the past few hours, he felt almost as if it wasn't real. A huge weight had lifted itself off of his chest when he called his father out. He snapped out of his trance when he spotted the temple getting closer and closer. He maneuvered the balloon down toward the temple, looking for a spot to land. Zuko saw a fire in the courtyard of the temple as he descended. Figuring it must be the Avatar and his friends, he landed the balloon on the landing of a set of stairs. Making sure his swords were on his back, he jogged up the stairs and stopped before the bushed that separated him from them.

Sokka had spotted the Fire Nation balloon before anyone and alerted everyone. They readied themselves and waited once they saw it grow closer to the ground. The gang depended on Toph to warn them.

"The balloon landed on a landing through there," she pointed. "There's only one man."

"Is it Iroh?" Aang asked hopefully.

Toph frowned. "No, it's- I think it's Zuko!"

Katara's eyes narrowed. "What does he want?" She got into a bending stance.

Zuko took a deep breath before walking through the bushes. His eyes widened when he saw everyone standing ready for him, waiting to attack. He looked around at the group and saw how many people had escaped the Fire Nation. He saw the Waterbender's brother begin to walk toward him, but his sister beat him to it.

"What are you doing here?!" Katara scowled, hands on her hips.

Zuko recoiled a bit, looking at her. He was pretty sure she might be the one most furious at him.

She's probably who I'm going to have to crack to let me stay, Zuko thought.

"Well?" She asked.

Zuko swallowed. "I'm here, to help the Avatar."

Everyone let their astonishment show. Zuko had figured as much that they'd be surprised.

Katara was still angry. "Why should we believe you?! You've been after Aang for over a year! I mean, I'm surprised you weren't trying to find us during the invasion!"

"I know you don't have much of a reason to trust me-"

"Much of a reason?! We have no reason at all to believe-" Katara started.

"-but I'm here to help the Avatar. I'll help him to defeat my father and fulfill his destiny."

Katara started in on him again, but Toph cut her off. "Katara, he's not lying. I can tell."

"But during the invasion, you said you had a hard time telling whether or not Azula was lying," Sokka reminded her.

"That's true, but having met Zuko before, I can tell he's not as skilled in lying as his sister," Toph said.

"I still don't believe him," Katara said angrily.

"Maybe we should question him using Toph as the lie detector," Teo suggested.

"I'm game for interrogation," Toph shrugged.

"I'd rather not," Zuko began.

"Aha! You see, Toph?"

"Waterbender," Zuko said. Katara looked at him. "I want to talk to you. You're the only one I'm about to give answers to."

"Why is that?" Sokka questioned him.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Zuko said, narrowing his eyes.

"Aang, what do you think?" Sokka asked.

Aang looked at Zuko, then to Katara. He remembered finding them together in the catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se. He didn't really get what had gone on, and he wasn't sure what to do. "I don't know..." he said.

"Why don't you boneheads let Katara decide if she wants to talk to him?" Toph called out.

"Katara, you can't possibly have anything to say to him," Sokka said.

Katara looked at Zuko. He was staring at her, asking her with his eyes to talk to him and hear him out. She didn't want to be betrayed again, but she didn't want to let her questions go unanswered either. She lowered her head. "I'll hear what he has to say."

Katara saw the slightest of grins on Zuko's face as she heard her brother loudly protest. Katara walked away from the group, letting Zuko follow her. When they had come upon an area suitable for speaking in private, she spoke.

"Just to let you know, if this is some kind of trap and you're here for Aang or whatever, I swear I won't hold back or refrain from attacking you!" Katara said.

"It's not a trap. I just want to talk to you," Zuko said.

"Then talk. You've got a lot to explain to me. I don't know how you can possibly justify what you've done. So, I'm listening."

Zuko frowned and felt a wave of guilt pass over him. Katara had a habit of doing that to people, he noticed. Even if you were an adult, she could make you feel like you were a child being berated by your mother.

"First, I wanted to say, I'm sorry. I know I made a huge mistake and I know you're mad."

"Mad doesn't cover everything I feel, Zuko. But do you really think you can fix all of this with an 'I'm sorry'?"

"No, I don't. I want you to know it wasn't ever my intention to hurt you or your friends."

"Why should I believe that? You chased us around, trying to capture Aang, putting us in constant danger. Sokka was right, this was a waste of time," Katara said and began to walk back to her friends."

Zuko grabbed her hand to stop her. "Please, Katara," he said quietly.

She turned around and looked at him. "How could you, Zuko? I was ready to heal your scar and I really had thought you changed. Even your uncle thought so. He made it seem like you were going to join us."

"I was, until my sister offered me something I'd wanted for years. But when I finally had it, it wasn't anything I really wanted."

"She offered to let you go back to the Fire Nation, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did. And I thought, maybe if I could be the perfect prince, my father would accept me and I could live in the Fire Nation again."

"When you said you were banished, you don't mean that your father did this to you?" She asked, indicating his scar.

Zuko looked away, letting the silence be his answer.

"Oh, Zuko," she breathed.

Katara slowly reached her hand up, and after pausing momentarily, lifted it to his scar and held it there. Zuko quickly turned his head to look at her. He lifted his hand a gently laid it over hers.

"How, how could your father do that to you?" Katara asked.

"That's how he is. It's always been like that. The only way he said I could come back was to capture the Avatar."

"That explains a lot," Katara said quietly.

A cool mountain breeze blew through and Katara shivered. She let go of Zuko's face and wrapped her arms around herself. Zuko put his hands on her arms and released some heat into her shoulders. Katara looked up at him and smiled. He let himself smile back. After he was sure Katara was warmer, he let go of her shoulders. Something caught Katara's eye as she looked at him. A long red cut ran across his right shoulder.

"Zuko, what's that?" She asked pointing.

"That was from the battle in Ba Sing Se. It never fully healed because it keeps reopening," he told her.

"Sit down," Katara said.

"Why?"

"Just sit right here," she pointed to the ancient stonework beneath his feet.

Zuko obeyed her and sat. She pulled down the fabric covering the wound on his shoulder and bended out some of her water. Forming the familiar catalyst on her hand, she raised it to the cut and began to heal it. Zuko watched her work and felt the pain receding from his shoulder.

Zuko talked with her as she healed him. The sun was setting and a new day would soon dawn. Zuko had agreed that he would teach Aang Firebending. Katara had tried to hold on to her anger, but she'd felt it begin to slip away went she realized what that he was saying was true. Katara knew it was going to take awhile to fully trust him again, but she knew she could give him another chance. Zuko had worked for his honor for years, and he finally realized it was right here, with the Waterbender and the Avatar and their friends. This was the honor his uncle had mentioned, and he wasn't about to mess this up.


End file.
